Tweakers' Asylum Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ. |
|
Model: Ground Enhancer Category: Accessory Suggested Retail Price: $30.00 Description: Ground-enhancement tweak Manufacturer URL: EVS - Electronic Visionary Systems
Review by Quint on November 04, 2010 at 14:08:47
IP Address: 205.188.117.73Add Your Review
for the Ground EnhancerEven though I’m a self-confessed audio tweaker—sometimes to my detriment—I am capable of drawing a line in the sand . . . occasionally. One of the few times I was able to draw said line was when Audioprism released its controversial Ground Control grounding tweak. Even though it looked like a little piece of wire under a cotton jacket that attached to the negative terminals of one’s speakers, I was curious enough to audition a pair on my Definitive Technology Mythos STS’s.
That audition didn’t go particularly well. At times I thought I could maybe hear a slight improvement in overall dimensionality, but I couldn’t consistently hear that difference, so I discounted it. Other than that, the Ground Control did nothing my ears could discern, so I wound up returning it and dismissing it and similar tweaks as snake oil.
Big mistake.
Enter tweaker supreme Ric Schultz and his company, Electronic Visionary Systsems (EVS). Ric’s work speaks for itself, so I won’t go into detail about his accomplishments, other than to say he is a respected member of a bunch of different audio forums, including this one. Ric now offers a device called the Ground Enhancer (GE), which bears a similarity to Audioprism’s Ground Control. I’ll let other, more tech-savvy minded folks get into the technical nitty gritty about how they differ, but the one major visual difference that I notice is that the Ground Control uses spade terminations, whereas the GR uses simple bare wire that wraps around the negative binding posts of one’s speakers. This, in theory at least, should give the GE an advantage over the Ground Control.
Don’t ask me how devices like this work, or exactly why I gave Ric’s GEs a shot after my experience with the Ground Controls, but I’m glad I have an open mind about these things. At $30/pair, the GEs are a minor expense for many audiophiles, so I decided to take the plunge and check them out, fully expecting to take advantage of Ric’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
I wound up not exercising that option. After a settling-down period of a few hours, I started to realize that these things were pretty special. I used just two of my most familiar discs—Badfinger’s No Dice and Dire Straits’ eponymous debut—for evaluation. With the GEs attached to the negative posts of my Definitives, the music adopted a weight and vividness that startled me. From the opening bars of Badfinger’s “I Can’t Take It,” guitars popped and snarled and bass throbbed like I hadn’t heard before in my second system. It wasn’t on the scale of a component change, certainly, but the improvements in dimensionality, rhythmic force, and soundstage focus were eye-opening. On the Dire Straits disc—especially on the bass-heavy opening of “Water of Love”—the low end was audibly tighter and more powerful, and Mark Knopfler’s usually hazy vocals adopted a focus and dimensionality that left me smiling.
Simply put, the Ground Enhancers have elevated my enjoyment of music at least a full notch or two. Considering their price of $30/pair, what they do borders on the near miraculous. I’m one of the few people who didn’t hear much if any difference with the Audioprism Ground Controls, so why I heard such a profound difference with a similar product baffles me. But I know what I hear, and EVS’s Ground Enhancers are not being returned. They are very highly and unreservedly recommended. I can’t think of a way to better spend $30 on this hobby.
Product Weakness: None for the price Product Strengths: Improvements in dimensionality, soundstage focus, resolution, and bass tightness/dynamics Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Coda CSi-B Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None Sources (CDP/Turntable): Modified Oppo BDP-83SE Speakers: Definitive Technology STS Cables/Interconnects: Jena Labs Music Used (Genre/Selections): Rock Room Size (LxWxH): 24 x 20 x 7 Room Comments/Treatments: Nice blend of absorption and diffusion; all reflective surfaces covered Time Period/Length of Audition: 3 days Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Jena Labs Platinum Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Topic - REVIEW: EVS - Electronic Visionary Systems Ground Enhancer Accessory - Quint 14:08:47 11/04/10 (49)
- RE: REVIEW: EVS - Electronic Visionary Systems Ground Enhancer Accessory - El Flaco 11:38:11 05/09/11 (0)
- RE: REVIEW: EVS - Electronic Visionary Systems Ground Enhancer Accessory - Palustris 12:08:38 11/16/10 (3)
- RE: REVIEW: EVS - Electronic Visionary Systems Ground Enhancer Accessory - maxpower5566 04:26:14 11/20/10 (2)
- RE: REVIEW: EVS - Electronic Visionary Systems Ground Enhancer Accessory - Palustris 08:40:35 11/20/10 (1)
- RE: REVIEW: EVS - Electronic Visionary Systems Ground Enhancer Accessory - rick_m 10:35:52 11/20/10 (0)
- Anyone know if the Pigtails are the same idea? - bartc 11:23:07 11/12/10 (0)
- Attaching them to the terminals of Maggie 1.6qr;s - dmzwizard@yahoo.com 00:45:02 11/11/10 (1)
- RE: Attaching them to the terminals of Maggie 1.6qr;s - Deaf Ear 10:26:20 11/11/10 (0)
- Beta tester impressions - oeno 09:00:33 11/09/10 (3)
- "as noticeable as turning the light on and off in a dark room" - Deaf Ear 14:16:41 11/09/10 (0)
- "as noticeable as turning the light on and off in a dark room." - musetap 12:02:48 11/09/10 (0)
- RE: Beta tester impressions - drumsgreg 10:33:38 11/09/10 (0)
- EVS Ground Enhancer and RF speaker filters??? - fastcat95 17:22:19 11/08/10 (9)
- Yes, I use both tweaks, DIYed, plus others - bartc 20:43:34 11/08/10 (8)
- RE: Yes, I use both tweaks, DIYed, plus others - Oddeophile 11:43:44 11/12/10 (5)
- Yes - bartc 15:14:50 11/12/10 (4)
- RE: Yes, I use both tweaks, DIYed, plus others - Oddeophile 15:09:34 11/09/10 (1)
- El Linko... - musetap 08:21:33 11/10/10 (0)
- my impressions, and a ? for other users - rhyno 20:33:12 11/05/10 (2)
- RE: my impressions, and a ? for other users - acres verde 11:52:28 11/06/10 (0)
- I just ordered a second set for the amp end . . . - Quint 09:53:15 11/06/10 (0)
- RE: REVIEW: EVS - Electronic Visionary Systems Ground Enhancer Accessory - ozzyboy 10:23:48 11/05/10 (0)
- Don't know why - bartc 15:53:20 11/04/10 (21)
- Where can we find the clone recipe? - rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com 08:43:52 11/05/10 (20)
- In this thread on DIYaudio.com - bartc 08:53:18 11/05/10 (19)
- RE: In this thread on DIYaudio.com - gbehappy2 08:59:42 11/12/10 (6)
- Hmmm, must have missed that one! - bartc 11:21:41 11/12/10 (5)
- RE: Hmmm, must have missed that one! - gbehappy2 15:23:03 11/12/10 (4)
- I found the reference to the chokes - bartc 11:44:38 11/13/10 (3)
- RE: I found the reference to the chokes - gbehappy2 10:01:33 11/14/10 (2)
- Can't discern any difference - bartc 20:51:41 11/14/10 (0)
- OK, I'll probably try that. nt - bartc 10:51:35 11/14/10 (0)
- I ordered two pair from EVS - rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com 08:27:04 11/07/10 (2)
- Surplus Supplies - JimBop 13:04:22 11/07/10 (0)
- Cheap on eBay nt - bartc 12:20:09 11/07/10 (0)
- RE: In this thread on DIYaudio.com - stvnharr 06:06:18 11/07/10 (1)
- Thanks, that does answer all of the questions - rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com 12:34:58 11/08/10 (0)
- That is really interesting - rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com 15:06:52 11/05/10 (1)
- Indeed he is! - bartc 17:33:24 11/05/10 (0)
- Thanks - rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com 14:14:58 11/05/10 (4)
- Ric I rolled my own with some stranded wire I had... - theob 06:02:29 11/09/10 (3)
- RE: Ric I rolled my own with some stranded wire I had... - Rob F 12:40:07 11/09/10 (0)
- Theo, you should have said something about this ... - rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com 11:41:36 11/09/10 (1)
- RE: Theo, you should have said something about this ... - theob 15:58:31 11/09/10 (0)
- Tweaker extraordinaire - rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com 14:26:42 11/04/10 (0)